Self-released “Welcome To The New Dark Ages EP 1” out on November 24th!
“One of British Metal’s best-kept secrets…”: That’s how the team from Ghost Cult Magazine once described British Progressive Death Metallers Beyond Grace and, for better or worse, that’s still the case today.
Over the course of two albums (2017’s Seekers and 2021’s Our Kingdom Undone) and a host of tours and shows supporting the likes of Hour of Penance, Blood Red Throne, The Monolith Deathcult, Cryptopsy, Darkane, and more, the group have built up a dedicated cult-following around the world with their distinctive blend of hook-laden heaviness and subtly proggy extremity.
Following their split from Prosthetic Records at the end of 2022 the band knew they needed to do something differently – the industry had changed, the musical landscape was still in flux, and the group themselves had experienced a series of trials, tribulations, and tragedies which had changed them in turn – if they were to survive and keep moving forwards.
Thus the seeds for the band’s third album – Welcome to the New Dark Ages – were sown.
Eschewing the standard album cycle, WttNDA will be released as a series of three digital EPs – each of which will include an exclusive cover track, as well as eye-catching artwork by Gary Ronaldson of Bite Radius Designs, known for his work with the likes of Napalm Death, Misery Index, Benighted, etc – all culminating in a physical release which will collect the entire saga together in one cohesive whole.
The idea behind this approach is, of course, that a lot of listeners prefer to access their music digitally these days, and so these fans (both new and old) will be able to get the EPs as and when they’re released without having to wait, while those who still carry a torch for the classic physical format(s) will be able to hear the album in stages prior to its full release and so know exactly what they’re getting for their collection.
Part 1 is set for release on November 24th 2023 and features three brand-new tracks – explosive lead-single ‘The Burning Season’, the cynically savage, prog-tinged ‘Buyer’s Remorse’, and the infectious, in-your-face intensity of ‘Misinfodemic’ – as well as the band’s crushingly creative cover of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Here Comes the Flood’, showcasing an even heavier, angrier, and more aggressive sound while also expanding the group’s creative palette with injections of moody clean vocals and brooding atmosphere along the way.
Whether this is the beginning of a whole new era, or simply the soundtrack to the end of the world as we know it, one thing is for certain… this is Beyond Grace at their very best.
